Methods, Systems, and Products for Notifications

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and products provide voicemail notifications. A first notification is received that indicates a caller has recorded a voicemail. In response to the first notification, the caller&#39;s communication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail was recorded. A second notification is received that indicates the recipient retrieved the voicemail. In response to the second notification, the caller&#39;s communication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail has been played. When the recipient listens to the voicemail, the communication log thus informs the caller.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/707,805, filed Feb. 16, 2007, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. ______, andincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The exemplary embodiments generally relate to communications and to dataprocessing and, more particularly, to voicemail and to messagenotifications.

Voicemail notifications are needed. When users send emails,notifications may be sent to alert of events or activities. When theemail recipient reads the email, for example, a “read receipt” may besent to alert the sender. When voicemails are recorded and played,however, no such notifications currently exist. What is needed, then,are methods, systems, and products for providing voicemailnotifications.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments provide methods, systems, and products fornotifications. These notifications provide alerts of audible messages,such as voicemails. When a recipient of a voicemail retrieves, plays, orotherwise accesses a voicemail, a notification may be sent. Thenotification communicates to the sender or recorder of the voicemail.The notification informs the recording party of when the recipientretrieves or listens to the voicemail. Exemplary embodiments may evennotify the sender of the recipient's physical location at which thevoicemail was retrieved. Exemplary embodiments even permit thesender/recorder to retrieve and playback the voicemail.

Exemplary embodiments include a method for voicemail notifications. Afirst notification is received that indicates a caller has recorded avoicemail. In response to the first notification, the caller'scommunication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail wasrecorded. A second notification is received that indicates the recipientretrieved the voicemail. In response to the second notification, thecaller's communication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail hasbeen played. When the recipient listens to the voicemail, thecommunication log thus informs the caller.

More exemplary embodiments include a system for voicemail notifications.A first notification is received that indicates a caller has recorded avoicemail. In response to the first notification, the caller'scommunication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail wasrecorded. A second notification is received that indicates the recipientretrieved the voicemail. In response to the second notification, thecaller's communication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail hasbeen played. When the recipient listens to the voicemail, thecommunication log thus informs the caller.

Other exemplary embodiments describe a computer program product forproviding voicemail notifications. The computer program product storesinstructions for receiving a first notification that indicates a callerhas recorded a voicemail. In response to the first notification, thecaller's communication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail wasrecorded. A second notification is received that indicates the recipientretrieved the voicemail. In response to the second notification, thecaller's communication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail hasbeen played. When the recipient listens to the voicemail, thecommunication log thus informs the caller.

Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according tothe exemplary embodiments will be or become apparent to one withordinary skill in the art upon review of the following drawings anddetailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems,methods, and/or computer program products be included within thisdescription, be within the scope of the claims, and be protected by theaccompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplaryembodiments are better understood when the following DetailedDescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an environment in which exemplaryembodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a process for providing additionalnotifications, according to more exemplary embodiments;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematics illustrating a communications log,according to even more exemplary embodiments;

FIGS. 4-6 are schematics illustrating another process for providingnotifications, according to still more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating another process for providingnotifications, according to still more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustrating another process for providingnotifications, according to more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating a process for retrieval and review ofvoicemails, according to still more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 10 depicts other possible operating environments for additionalaspects of the exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of voicemail notification,according to exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodimentsmay, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the exemplary embodiments to those ofordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein recitingembodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure).

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill inthe art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the likerepresent conceptual views or processes illustrating the exemplaryembodiments. The functions of the various elements shown in the figuresmay be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well ashardware capable of executing associated software. Those of ordinaryskill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware,software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described hereinare for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limitedto any particular named manufacturer.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. Itwill be further understood that the terms “includes,” “comprises,”“including,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood thatwhen an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” toanother element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the otherelement or intervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected”or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly connected or coupled.As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element from another. For example, a first device could be termed asecond device, and, similarly, a second device could be termed a firstdevice without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an environment in which exemplaryembodiments may be implemented. A user's device 20 communicates with aserver 22 via a communications network 24. When the user records avoicemail 26, the voicemail 26 may be stored in memory 28 of the server24. The voicemail 26 is associated with a recipient (such as a calledparty), such that the recipient may retrieve the voicemail 26 using arecipient's device 30. According to exemplary embodiments, the user'sdevice 20 has a processor 32 (e.g., “μP”), application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), or other similar device that executes aclient-side communications application 34 stored in memory 36. Theserver 22 also has a server-side processor 38 (e.g., “μP”), applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other similar device thatexecutes a server-side communications application 40 stored in thememory 28. According to exemplary embodiments, the client-sidecommunications application 34 and the server-side communicationsapplication 40 cooperate to inform the user's device 20 of when therecipient listens to the voicemail 26.

The client-side communications application 34 may update the user'scommunications log 50. The communications log 50 monitors or tracks someor all communications sent and/or received by the user. Thecommunications log 50 is illustrated as being stored in the memory 36 ofthe user's device 20, but the communications log 50 may be remotelyaccessible via the communications network 24. The communications log 50,in particular, may indicate that the user recorded the voicemail 26 forthe recipient. As FIG. 1 illustrates, when the user records thevoicemail 26 to the memory 28 of the server 24, the server-sidecommunications application 40 causes the server-side processor 38 tosend a first notification 52. The first notification 52 may communicateto the user's device 20 via the communications network 24. The firstnotification 52 indicates that the user has recorded the voicemail 26.The first notification 52 may also include information that indicates adate and time 54 that the voicemail 26 was recorded. When the user'sdevice 20 receives the first notification 52, the client-sidecommunications application 34 may update the communications log 50 toindicate that the user recorded the voicemail 26.

FIG. 1 illustrates an entry 56 in the user's communications log 50. Thecommunications log 50 is illustrated as being visually presented on adisplay device, but the communications log 50 may have features foraudible presentation. Here the entry 56 indicates that the user recordedthe voicemail 26 for the recipient. The entry 56 may include a datafield that identifies the date and the time 54 that the voicemail 26 wasrecorded. The entry 56 may also identify a recipient 58 of the voicemail26, such as by the recipient's name, the recipient's telephone number,the recipient's email address, or any other communications addressassociated with the recipient. According to exemplary embodiments, thecommunications applications 34 and 40 thus comprise processor-executableinstructions that present the communications log 50. The communicationsapplications 34 and 40 are thus software engines that inform the user,via the user's communications log 50, of when the user recordsvoicemails for other parties.

Exemplary embodiments also permit archival storage of the voicemail 26.As FIG. 1 illustrates, the voicemail 26 is stored in memory 28 of theserver 22 for the recipient to retrieve. Exemplary embodiments, however,may additionally archive or store the voicemail 26 in the user's device20. That is, the server-side communications application 40 maycommunicate the voicemail 26 via the communications network 24, thus“mirroring” the voicemail 26 to the memory 36 of the user's device 20.The recorder/sender may even configure the server-side communicationsapplication 40 to communicate and store the voicemail 26 to anydestination in the communications network 24. The voicemail 26, forexample, may be formatted and stored as a .wav file, although exemplaryembodiments may utilize any other formatting. However and wherever thevoicemail 26 is archived, exemplary embodiments may permit the recordinguser to access and review the recorded voicemail 26.

The user's device 20 and the server 22 are only simply illustrated.Because their architecture and operating principles are well known,their hardware and software components are not further shown anddescribed. If the reader desires more details, the reader is invited toconsult the following sources, all incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety: ANDREW TANENBAUM, COMPUTER NETWORKS (4^(th) edition2003); WILLIAM STALLINGS, COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ARCHITECTURE:DESIGNING FOR PERFORMANCE (7^(th) Ed., 2005); and DAVID A. PATTERSON &JOHN L. HENNESSY, COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN: THEHARDWARE/SOFTWARE INTERFACE (3^(rd). Edition 2004).

Exemplary embodiments may be applied regardless of networkingenvironment. The communications network 24 may be a cable networkoperating in the radio-frequency domain and/or the Internet Protocol(IP) domain. The communications network 24, however, may also include adistributed computing network, such as the Internet (sometimesalternatively known as the “World Wide Web”), an intranet, a local-areanetwork (LAN), and/or a wide-area network (WAN). The communicationsnetwork 24 may include coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic lines,and/or hybrid-coaxial lines. The communications network 24 may eveninclude wireless portions utilizing any portion of the electromagneticspectrum and any signaling standard (such as the I.E.E.E. 802 family ofstandards, GSM/CDMA/TDMA or any cellular standard, and/or the ISM band).The concepts described herein may be applied to any wireless/wirelinecommunications network, regardless of physical componentry, physicalconfiguration, or communications standard(s).

Some aspects of voicemail and of communications logs are known, so thisdisclosure will not greatly explain the known details. If the readerdesires more details, the reader is invited to consult the followingsources, all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S.Pat. No. 6,018,571 to Langlois et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,118 toBayless et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,973 to Smith et al.; U.S. Pat. No.6,535,590 to Tidwell et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,917,610 to Kung et al; U.S.Patent Application Publication 2004/0137884 to Engstrom et al.; U.S.Patent Application Publication 2005/0074109 to Hanson et al.; U.S.Patent Application Publication 2005/0111631 to Jordan; U.S. PatentApplication Publication 2006/0002536 to Ambrose; U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication 2006/0062205 to Doherty et al.; U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication 2006/0077957 to Reddy et al.; and U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication 2006/0234693 to Isidore et al.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a process for providing additionalnotifications, according to more exemplary embodiments. Here, when therecipient retrieves or listens to the voicemail 26, the user may be soinformed. When the recipient (e.g., the called party and/or voicemailrecipient) retrieves, reviews, downloads, listens to, or otherwiseaccesses the voicemail 26 stored in the server 22, the server-sidecommunications application 40 may send a second notification (Step 70).The second notification includes information indicating the recipientretrieved the voicemail 26. The server-side communications application40 may also send information indicating the date and time 54 when therecipient retrieved the voicemail 26 (Step 72). In response to receiptof the second notification, the client-side communications application34 updates the user's communications log 50 to indicate that thevoicemail 26 has been played (Step 74). The client-side communicationsapplication 34 may cause visual presentation of an icon in thecommunications log 50 to indicate that the voicemail was retrieved andplayed by the recipient (Step 76). When the recipient listens to thevoicemail 26, the communications log 50 thus informs the user (e.g., thesender or recorder of the voicemail).

Exemplary embodiments, however, may not send the second notification(e.g., Step 70). When the recipient retrieves, plays, or listens to thevoicemail 26, the server-side communications application 40 may beprevented from sending the date and time 54 that the recipient retrievedthe voicemail 26. The recipient, for example, may configure theserver-side communications application 40 to never send, or to “block,”the second notification. The recipient, in other words, may not want theserver-side communications application 40 to notify the client-sidecommunications application 34 of when the voicemail 26 has been played.The recipient may optionally configure the server-side communicationsapplication 40 to prompt before sending the second notification. Whenthe recipient retrieves the voicemail 26, the server-side communicationsapplication 40 may be configured to send a message to the recipient'sretrieving device 30. The message creates or produces a visual and/oraudible prompt at the recipient's retrieving device. When the recipientwishes to update the sender's communications log 50, the recipientaffirmatively responds to the prompt. The recipient's retrieving devicethen sends an affirmative response to the server-side communicationsapplication 40. The affirmative response authorizes the server-sidecommunications application 40 to send the second notification (e.g.,Step 70). In response to receipt of the second notification, theclient-side communications application 34 updates the user'scommunications log 50 to indicate that the voicemail 26 has been played(e.g., Step 74).

Exemplary embodiments may also permit changing a status of messages.After the recipient retrieves, reads, plays, or listens to a message(such as the voicemail 26), the recipient may instruct the server-sidecommunications application 40 to maintain, or reset, a “new” messagestatus. When the voicemail message 26 is played, for example, ordinarilythe server-side communications application 40 may change the voicemail'sstatus from “new” to “old” or “stored.” The recipient, however, mayindicate that the voicemail 26 should be maintained as “new” and unreador not retrieved. The recipient, for example, may wish to keep thevoicemail 26 queued with new messages as an audible reminder. Becausethe voicemail 26 may be repeatedly returned to a top of the voicemailqueue, the recipient would hear the voicemail each time the queue isaccessed.

Exemplary embodiments may also inform the sender of deleted messages.When the recipient deletes a message, the server-side communicationsapplication 40 may be configured to send a message informing the senderof that deletion. The sender's communications log 50 may even present adeletion icon to provide a visual notification. When, for example, therecipient deletes the voicemail 26 (even without listening/playing thevoicemail 26), the server-side communications application 40 may beconfigured to so inform the client-side communications application 34.The sending user is thus informed of when the recipient ignores anddeletes the voicemail 26. Sales and marketing personnel, for example,would immediately know that their voicemail 26 was ignored.

Exemplary embodiments also permit duplicate voicemails. Because thevoicemail 26 may be archived/stored in the user's device 20 (and/or atany destination the user desires, as above explained), the sending usermay retrieve and resend the same voicemail 26. The user, for example,may resend to emphasize the importance of the voicemail 26. Even if therecipient retrieved and played the originally-sent voicemail 26, asecond send of the same voicemail 26 further reinforces the content ofthe voicemail 26. When the recipient deletes the voicemail 26, the usermay wish to resend another, duplicate copy. The user may even wish tosend duplicate copies of the same voicemail 26, regardless of whetherthe originally-sent voicemail 26 has been retrieved and played by therecipient.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematics further illustrating the communicationslog 50, according to even more exemplary embodiments. As FIG. 3Aillustrates, the communications log 50 indicates that two (2) voicemailshave been recorded by the user. According to exemplary embodiments, thecommunications log 50 presents the date and the time 54 that eachvoicemail was recorded, and the communications log 50 also indicates therecipient 58 of each recorded voicemail. As FIG. 3A also illustrates,the communications log 50 may display a recording icon 80 for eachrecorded voicemail. The recording icon 80 visually indicates that avoicemail was recorded. Scrolling controls 82 allow the user to scrollup and down within the communications log 50 to select any entry.

FIG. 3B illustrates retrieval of a voicemail. When a recipientretrieves, plays, or listens to a voicemail, the communications log 50may include a date field that indicates the date and time 84 ofretrieval. The communications log 50 changes to present a retrieval icon86 to indicate the voicemail was retrieved and played by the recipient.

FIGS. 4-6 are schematics illustrating another process for providingnotifications, according to still more exemplary embodiments. An audiblemessage (such as the voicemail 26) is recorded and stored (Step 90). Thefirst notification 52 is sent to notify the recording party (e.g., thecaller) that the audible message has been recorded (Step 92). The dateand time 54 that the audible message was recorded may also be sent (Step94). Upon receipt of the first notification, the client-sidecommunications application 34 updates the recording party'scommunications log 50 to indicate that the recording party recorded theaudible message (Step 96). An icon may be visually presented in thecommunications log 50 to indicate that the audible message was recordedand stored (Step 98).

The process continues with FIG. 5. The audible message is retrieved andplayed (Step 110). The server-side communications application 40 sendsthe second notification to indicate that the recipient retrieved theaudible message (Step 112). The server-side communications application40 may also send information indicating the date and time 54 when therecipient retrieved the audible message (Step 114). In response toreceipt of the second notification, the client-side communicationsapplication 34 updates the communications log 50 to indicate that theaudible message has been played (Step 116). The icon in thecommunications log 50 may be changed to indicate that the audiblemessage has been retrieved/played by the recipient (Step 118). Anothericon, additionally or alternatively, may be visually presented in thecommunications log 50 to indicate that the audible message was retrievedand played by the recipient (Step 120).

The process continues with FIG. 6. The disposition of the audiblemessage may also be indicated. When the recipient retrieves and/orlistens to the audible message, the recipient usually disposes of thataudible message. The recipient, for example, may listen to the audiblemessage and then delete the message. The recipient may save or archivethe audible message. The recipient may even send or “forward” theaudible message to another party or alternate destination. When therecipient disposes of the audible message, the server-sidecommunications application 40 may also send disposition informationindicating the recipient at least one of saved, deleted, and forwardedthe audible message (Step 130). If the audible message was forwarded toanother destination, the server-side communications application 40 mayalso send the destination address to which the audible message was sent(Step 132). When the disposition information is received, theclient-side communications application 34 updates the communications log50 to indicate how the recipient disposed of the audible message (Step134). A disposition icon may be presented to visually indicate thatdisposition (Step 136). The client-side communications application 34may update the communications log 50 to indicate the destination addressto which the audible message was forwarded (Step 138). Thecommunications log 50 thus visually indicates how the recipient disposedof the audible message and to whom the message was forwarded.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating another process for providingnotifications, according to still more exemplary embodiments. When therecipient retrieves and/or listens to the audible message, hereexemplary embodiments provide the physical location of the recipient.The audible message is recorded and stored (Step 150), and the firstnotification 52 is sent (Step 152). The date and time 54 that theaudible message was recorded may also be sent (Step 154). The recordingparty's communications log 50 is updated to indicate that the audiblemessage was recorded (Step 156). An icon may be visually presented toindicate the audible message was recorded and stored (Step 158).

The recipient's location may also be reported. When the recipientretrieves and/or plays the audible message (Step 160), the server-sidecommunications application 40 may receive the location coordinates ofthe recipient's retrieving device (illustrated as reference numeral 30in FIG. 1) (Step 162). The location coordinates describe the currentlocation associated with the recipient's device. The recipient'slocation coordinates are sent (Step 164) and the recording party'scommunications log 50 is updated to indicate the location at which therecipient is currently located (Step 166). Exemplary embodiments thusinform the caller/recorded/sender of the recipient's current location.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustrating another process for providingnotifications, according to more exemplary embodiments. Here, when theaudible message is forwarded to another destination, exemplaryembodiments report the physical location of that alternate destination.When the recipient retrieves/plays the audible message (Step 180), thesecond notification is sent to indicate that the recipient retrieved theaudible message (Step 182). The date and time when the recipientretrieved the audible message is sent (Step 184). The communications log50 is updated to indicate that the recipient retrieved/played theaudible message (Step 186).

The disposition of the audible message is also reported. Here, when therecipient sends or forwards the audible message to anotherparty/recipient or alternate destination, the destination address (towhich the audible message was forwarded) is sent (Step 188). Thecommunications log 50 is updated to indicate that the recipientforwarded the audible message to another destination address (Step 190).

Additional locations may be reported. Because the recipient forwardedthe audible message to another destination address, exemplaryembodiments may report the physical location of the device retrievingthe forwarded message. When the audible message is retrieved from thedestination address, the server-side communications application 40 mayreceive the location coordinates associated with the retrieving device(that is used to retrieve the forwarded message) (Step 192). Thelocation coordinates describe the current location associated with thedevice that retrieves the forwarded audible message. The locationcoordinates are sent (Step 194) and the recording party's communicationslog 50 is updated to indicate the location at which the forwardedmessage was retrieved (Step 196).

An example is provided. Suppose a first party (e.g., the caller) recordsa voicemail for a second party (e.g., the recipient or the calledparty). When the second party retrieves and listens to the voicemail,the second party forwards the voicemail to a third party recipient. Thevoicemail is thus stored in a message database associated with the thirdparty. When the third party's device retrieves the voicemail, thelocation coordinates associated with the third party's device arereported or sent to the server-side communications application 40(operating in the server 22). The server 22 then sends those locationcoordinates to the first party's device 20. The communications log 50 isthus updated with the location coordinates of the third party recipient.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating a process for retrieval and review ofvoicemails, according to still more exemplary embodiments. Here, therecording party is permitted to retrieve, listen to, and even edit therecorded voicemail 26. When the user records the voicemail 26, thevoicemail 26 is stored in memory 28 of the server 24 (Step 200). Theserver-side communications application 40 associates the recipient, andthe recording user (and/or the user's device 20), to the voicemail 26(Step 202). When the server-side communications application 40 isappropriately configured, the recording/sending user may have authorityto retrieve and review the recorded voicemail 26. The recipient, forexample, may configure the server-side communications application 40with sender/recorder identities for whom review is permitted. Thesending user may even configure, or demand, such permissions from theserver-side communications application 40. Regardless, exemplaryembodiments may permit the recording/sending user to select, or “click,”the recording icon (illustrated as reference numeral 80 in FIG. 3A)associated with the recorded voicemail 26. The client-sidecommunications application 34, in response, sends a request for thevoicemail 26 (Step 204). The request identifies the desired voicemail 26by filename, date/time, sender, recipient, or any combination of theseparameters. When the server-side communications application 40 receivesthe request, the server-side communications application 40 verifies thepermissions level of the requesting user (Step 206). If permission isverified, the server-side communications application 40 retrieves andsends the voicemail 26 (Step 208). The user's device 20 thus retrievesthe voicemail 26 and the client-side communications application 34 mayinvoke some audio/video player to present the voicemail 26 (Step 210).Exemplary embodiments thus permit the recording user to obtain andplayback the voicemail 26.

Exemplary embodiments may also permit editing of the voicemail 26. Whenthe user's device 20 retrieves the voicemail 26, the client-sidecommunications application 34 may permit the user to edit and/or toaugment the voicemail 26. The client-side communications application 34,for example, may prompt the user to edit the voicemail 26, record andappend additional material to the voicemail 26, and/or delete andre-record the voicemail 26 (Step 212). When the user chooses to edit thevoicemail 26, for example, the user may be instructed to identify aportion of the voicemail 26 at which new material will be recorded forreplacement. When the user chooses to record and append new material,that new material is appended to an end of the recorded voicemail 26.When the user chooses to delete and re-record, the client-sidecommunications application 34 deletes the original voicemail file andrecords a new voicemail file. Regardless, once the user has completedthe editing process, the client-side communications application 34 sendsa revised voicemail (Step 214). When the server-side communicationsapplication 40 receives the revised voicemail, the server-sidecommunications application 40 deletes the previously-stored voicemail 26and, instead, stores the revised voicemail (Step 216). The revisedvoicemail is then queued for presentation to the recipient.

At any time, though, the revised voicemail may be denied. Theserver-side communications application 40 may configured with a set ofrules for receiving and/or storing revised voicemails. If the recipient,for example, has already listened to, saved, or deleted theoriginally-recorded voicemail 26, then the server-side communicationsapplication 40 may be prevented from receiving/storing the revisedvoicemail. The recipient may also configure the server-sidecommunications application 40 to deny any characteristic of a revisedvoicemail. The recipient, for example, may wish to deny any revisedvoicemail that is longer in time than the originally-recorded voicemail26. When the revised voicemail exceeds some threshold time when comparedto the originally-recorded voicemail 26, then the revised voicemail maybe denied. The recipient may wish to deny any revised voicemail that hasa different date than the originally-recorded voicemail 26. When therevised voicemail would be chronologically queued at a differentposition, the recipient may wish to deny the revised voicemail. Theuser, alternatively may specify that the revised voicemail be queued inthe same chronological position as the originally-recorded voicemail 26.

FIG. 10 depicts other possible operating environments for additionalaspects of the exemplary embodiments. FIG. 10 illustrates that theclient-side communications application 34 and/or the server-sidecommunications application 40 may alternatively or additionally operatewithin various other devices 300. FIG. 10, for example, illustrates thatthe client-side communications application 34 and/or the server-sidecommunications application 40 may entirely or partially operate within aset-top box (302), a personal/digital video recorder (PVR/DVR) 304,personal digital assistant (PDA) 306, a Global Positioning System (GPS)device 308, an interactive television 310, an Internet Protocol (IP)phone 312, a pager 314, a cellular/satellite phone 316, or any computersystem and/or communications device utilizing a digital signal processor(DSP) 318. The device 300 may also include watches, radios, vehicleelectronics, clocks, printers, gateways, and other apparatuses andsystems capable of presenting the communications log 50. Because thearchitecture and operating principles of the various devices 300 arewell known, the hardware and software componentry of the various devices200 are not further shown and described. If, however, the reader desiresmore details, the reader is invited to consult the following sources,all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: LAWRENCE HARTEet al., GSM SUPERPHONES (1999); SIEGMUND REDL et al., GSM AND PERSONALCOMMUNICATIONS HANDBOOK (1998); and JOACHIM TISAL, GSM CELLULAR RADIOTELEPHONY (1997); the GSM Standard 2.17, formally known SubscriberIdentity Modules, Functional Characteristics (GSM 02.17 V3.2.0(1995-01))”; the GSM Standard 11.11, formally known as Specification ofthe Subscriber Identity Module—Mobile Equipment (Subscriber IdentityModule—ME) interface (GSM 11.11 V5.3.0 (1996-07))”; MICHEAL ROBIN &MICHEL POULIN, DIGITAL TELEVISION FUNDAMENTALS (2000); JERRY WHITAKERAND BLAIR BENSON, VIDEO AND TELEVISION ENGINEERING (2003); JERRYWHITAKER, DTV HANDBOOK (2001); JERRY WHITAKER, DTV: THE REVOLUTION INELECTRONIC IMAGING (1998); EDWARD M. SCHWALB, ITV HANDBOOK: TECHNOLOGIESAND STANDARDS (2004); ANDREW TANENBAUM, COMPUTER NETWORKS (4^(th)edition 2003); WILLIAM STALLINGS, COMPUTER ORGANIZATION ANDARCHITECTURE: DESIGNING FOR PERFORMANCE (7^(th) Ed., 2005); and DAVID A.PATTERSON & JOHN L. HENNESSY, COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN: THEHARDWARE/SOFTWARE INTERFACE (3^(rd). Edition 2004).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of voicemail notification,according to exemplary embodiments. A first notification is receivedindicating a caller has recorded a voicemail (Block 400). A date andtime may be received that indicates when the voicemail was recorded(Block 402). In response to the first notification, the caller'scommunication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail was recorded(Block 404). An icon may be visually and/or audibly presented toindicate the voicemail was recorded (Block 406). A second notificationis received indicating the recipient retrieved the voicemail (Block408). A disposition may also be received that indicates the recipient atleast one of saved, deleted, and forwarded the voicemail (Block 410). Alocation may also be received at which the voicemail was retrieved bythe recipient (Block 412). In response to the second notification, thecaller's communication log is updated to indicate that the voicemail hasbeen played (Block 414). The icon may be changed when the voicemail hasbeen played (Block 416) and/or a different icon may be presented toindicate the voicemail was retrieved and played (Block 418).

Exemplary embodiments may be physically embodied on or in acomputer-readable medium. This computer-readable medium may includeCD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy disk, memory card, andlarge-capacity disk (such as IOMEGA®, ZIP®, JAZZ®, and otherlarge-capacity memory products (IOMEGA®, ZIP®, and JAZZ® are registeredtrademarks of Iomega Corporation, 1821 W. Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067,801.332.1000, www.iomega.com). This computer-readable medium, or media,could be distributed to end-subscribers, licensees, and assignees. Thesetypes of computer-readable media, and other types not mention here butconsidered within the scope of the exemplary embodiments. A computerprogram product comprises processor-executable instructions forresponding to communications.

While the exemplary embodiments have been described with respect tovarious features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilledin the art will recognize the exemplary embodiments are not so limited.Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplaryembodiments.

1. A method, comprising: receiving a notification indicating a voicemailhas been retrieved by a recipient; and causing display of an icon in acommunication log associated with a caller that indicates the voicemailhas been retrieved, wherein when the recipient retrieves the voicemail,the communication log informs the caller.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, further comprising updating the communication log to indicatethat the voicemail has been retrieved.
 3. The method according to claim1, further comprising receiving another notification indicating thevoicemail was recorded.
 4. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a date and a time indicating when the recipientretrieved the voicemail.
 5. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a location at which the voicemail was retrieved bythe recipient.
 6. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingincluding a name of the recipient in the communication log.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising including acommunications address of the recipient in the communication log.
 8. Asystem, comprising: a processor executing code stored in memory thatcauses the processor to: receive a notification indicating a voicemailhas been retrieved by a recipient; and cause display of an icon in acommunication log associated with a caller that recorded the voicemail,the icon indicating the voicemail has been retrieved by the recipient,wherein when the recipient retrieves the voicemail, the communicationlog informs the caller.
 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein thecode further causes the processor to change the communication log toindicate that the voicemail was recorded by the caller.
 10. The systemaccording to claim 8, wherein the code further causes the processor toreceive a date and a time indicating when the recipient retrieved thevoicemail.
 11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the code furthercauses the processor to receive a location at which the voicemail wasretrieved by the recipient.
 12. The system according to claim 8, whereinthe code further causes the processor to include a name of the recipientin the communication log.
 13. The system according to claim 8, whereinthe code further causes the processor to include a communicationsaddress of the recipient in the communication log.
 14. The systemaccording to claim 8, wherein the code further causes the processor toreceive a disposition indicating the recipient at least one of saved,deleted, and forwarded the voicemail.
 15. A computer readable mediumstoring processor executable instructions for performing a method, themethod comprising: receiving a first notification indicating a callerhas recorded a voicemail for a recipient; receiving a secondnotification indicating the recipient retrieved the voicemail; andpresent an icon in a communication log associated with the caller toindicate that the voicemail has been retrieved by the recipient, whereinwhen the recipient retrieves to the voicemail, the icon in thecommunication log informs the caller.
 16. The computer readable mediumaccording to claim 15, further comprising instructions for indicating inthe communication log that the voicemail was recorded.
 17. The computerreadable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructionsfor changing the communication log to indicate that the voicemail wasrecorded.
 18. The computer readable medium according to claim 15,further comprising instructions for receiving a date and a timeindicating when the recipient retrieved the voicemail.
 19. The computerreadable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructionsfor receiving a location at which the voicemail was retrieved by therecipient.
 20. The computer readable medium according to claim 15,further comprising instructions for displaying a name of the recipientin the communication log.